Less the corpse (thanks Taynar)

Drove up to Longview, TX, from Houston. Corporate Travel did a good job with making the Marriott deal in Houston, but they have work to do on our corporate web reservations site. It doesn’t make sense to me when the “corporate preferred” Holiday Inn Express is $10/night more expensive and 15 miles away from the Holiday Inn Express right next to where I report in Kilgore. I can’t imagine that Accounting charges back the savings/kickback/other benefit to our department which is paying for my hotel stay.

Took time out this weekend to visit Mr. & Mrs. Taynar in Dallas, who treated me with fine southern hospitality. I got him a belated birthday gift because he was finishing his deck. Saturday we played Trival Pursuit Genus 4. I got out to a 4-wedge lead, but I couldn’t roll the die to hit the last two pies before Mr. & Mrs. caught up. Taynar got the win just after midnight.

We saw Hitch starring Will Smith and Kevin James. Funny without being crude, we thought it was among the best available. The story is good, but I thought that the end was rushed and that too many subplots wrapped up unnecessarily into happy endings.

Driving back and forth along I-20 I saw no less than seven Texas Highway Patrol cars on duty, and every one of them had pulled over a speeder. I bet it’s a fine revenue generator. I understand the deal with federal blackmail keeping the speed limit down, but 65 mph all the way out past Terrell? This is a road that where you could almost lock the steering wheel down, set the cruise control, and take a nap until you get past Tyler. I exaggerate only slightly.

Probably against my better judgment I joined Taynar and SSRJazz at the online Full Tilt Poker tables. It was fun, and I gained a little appreciation for these guys that try to make a living at it. I won’t play the “real money” tables because I can’t afford to lose it. :) I had my first profitable evening in three tries. There was a guy who was obnoxious and raising almost every hand, until I pointed this out and he settled down. He lost about 900 chips, probably a third to me. “That’ll do pig, that’ll do.”